Konoha: Starting with Sage Mode

After thinking it over, Shukaku ultimately decided to stick to his principles and not fall for the bait Kirito offered.

It can still distinguish between curiosity and its own life.

Having spent time with Kirito, it has come to understand that he is a human with a strong desire for power. If it were to tell him the secret of how the Rinnegan unlocks the Ten-Tails' seal and allows him to become the Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki, this human would definitely try every means to pursue this immense power.

At that point, it will truly be courting its own demise.

It wasn't afraid at all that Kirito imprisoned it inside its body and plundered its power, because in its eyes, Kirito was just one of many humans in history who wanted to control its power, all just passing through, and it would be freed again sooner or later.

A human lifespan is at most a hundred years, which is nothing compared to the near-infinite lifespan of the creature. It's just being locked up, which is a bit boring and unpleasant.

"If you don't want to talk, then forget it. I won't force you. I'll say it again: you don't need to be so hostile. I don't treat you as an enemy or a pet. With my abilities, I can let you go out in another form as compensation for borrowing your chakra."

Kirito, seeing that Shukaku still refused, didn't mind much and spoke gently.

Although he easily suppressed Shukaku with his powerful sealing techniques, he was still in trouble as the Jinchūriki if the Tailed Beast chose to give up.

To prevent Shukaku from refusing to lend him chakra, his attitude towards Shukaku has undergone a complete transformation, shifting from enslavement to cooperation.

Of course, he also harbored the desire to connect with Shukaku and become the perfect Jinchūriki.

"Don't try to get close to me. I will never trust any other human except for Fenfu. Remember, never let the Rinnegan consume my chakra again, or you can forget about getting my chakra in the future."

Shukaku said coldly, then deliberately cut off his mental communication with Kirito.

It knew perfectly well what Kirito wanted, but it would not compromise with him, absolutely not.

"What a stubborn tailed beast."

Kirito felt a slight unease as Shukaku abruptly ended the conversation, as if the phone had been hung up on him.

Soon, his attention returned to the Rinnegan in the right eye socket of the vortex clone opposite him.

There's no rush to discuss the Rinnegan with Shukaku. Once he gets past Madara Uchiha, he'll have plenty of time to discuss this with Shukaku properly later.

Shukaku knew perfectly well why it wouldn't let him give its chakra to the Rinnegan to consume; it was simply because it was worried that he would discover the secrets hidden within the Rinnegan. But it didn't know that when its Uzumaki clone officially began to master the Rinnegan, it had already obtained some information from the Rinnegan.

For example, how to summon the Gedo Mazo.

For example, some of the abilities of the Rinnegan.

For example, the information about Yin-Yang Escape.

and many more.

"Yin Yang Escape..."

Kirito closed his eyes, carefully sensing the information about Yin-Yang Release he had obtained from the Rinnegan.

The Yin-Yang Release of the Rinnegan is its innate ability, similar to a bloodline skill, a completed product, or rather, a kind of eye technique. Users do not need to understand what Yin-Yang Release is to use it.

Kirito was somewhat troubled by this.

What he fears most is this kind of innate ability, this talent skill, which only has the beginning and the end, lacking the most crucial middle part. He doesn't know how long it would take him to deduce and replicate it.

But there's no way around it; the Yin-Yang Escape ability is a valuable thing. If used well, it's no worse than Sage Mode.

In an instant, a massive surge of chakra erupted from his body, flowing through chakra threads into the Uzumaki clone. He then used the Uzumaki clone to control the Rinnegan and unleash the power of Yin-Yang Release.

A jet-black rod suddenly grew out of the right palm of the vortex clone.

To create the tangible from the intangible.

This black rod is actually a byproduct of Yin-Yang Release; it merely embodies the ultimate power of Yin Release.

This shows that Madara Uchiha's Rinnegan Yin-Yang Release ability is actually flawed; it still cannot directly create real life.

However, this black rod is a good thing. It is the key to making the Six Paths Puppet and has great destructive power. It is a powerful weapon to deal with the Impure World Reincarnation Puppet.

As a puppetry master, Kirito naturally wouldn't let go of the opportunity to collect a large amount of high-quality puppet materials. He decisively continued to supply chakra to the Uzumaki clone, using the Yin-Yang Release ability of the Rinnegan to continuously create black rods.

In just over a minute, a small pile of black rods appeared on the ground. Kirito's chakra was also nearly depleted, so he decisively stopped, ate a special soldier's ration pill, and began to quickly recover his depleted chakra.

A dozen minutes later, Kirito's chakra was replenished once again.

At this moment, he looked at the Rinnegan, a solemn expression on his face.

From the moment he first used the Yin-Yang Release of the Rinnegan to create the black rods, he wondered if the black rods created would be different if he channeled Sage Chakra into the Rinnegan.

But it was only through his exceptional willpower that he delayed doing so.

Because the Rinnegan had absorbed a large amount of his chakra and a portion of Shukaku's chakra, its power was clearly several times stronger than before, and he really couldn't say what would happen if he transferred Sage Mode chakra to it.

He most likely won't be able to keep this Rinnegan.

Hatake-sensei is still in Madara Uchiha's hands, and if that madman can't get the Rinnegan back, he will most likely attack Konoha immediately. At that time, given his hatred for Konoha and for him, he will definitely raze Konoha to the ground. This is what he is most worried about.

"Fine, although I'm very curious, I can't let it aid the enemy. If my Sage Chakra is absorbed by this Rinnegan, and then Madara Uchiha uses it to see something, that wouldn't be a good thing for me."

After a moment's thought, Kirito decided to abandon his plan to inject Sage Chakra into the Rinnegan to create black rods.

He then began to consider the possibility of using the Rinnegan to deal with Madara Uchiha.

He didn't have much of a chance against Madara Uchiha before, but now that he has the Rinnegan, things are different.

"It's a pity that Shukaku isn't helping. The Rinnegan is powerful, but each of its abilities consumes as much chakra as Sage Mode. If I didn't have Shukaku's strong support behind me, I'm afraid I would have had a hard time unleashing even a fraction of the Rinnegan's power."

Kirito pondered for a moment, then shook his head.

Moreover, Madara Uchiha, that old schemer, must have considered that I would use the power of the Rinnegan against him. This might be used against me by that old guy, who could then set a trap to deal with me.

If we're talking about who knows the most about these Rinnegan, it would definitely be Madara Uchiha himself.

"What should I do? That old guy Madara Uchiha definitely won't do business with me sincerely. There's a high chance something will go wrong during the transaction. If I don't take precautions, I might not only fail to save Hatake-sensei, but I might also get myself killed."

Kirito removed the Rinnegan from the Uzumaki clone's eye socket, then looked at the Rinnegan in his palm and frowned as he spoke.

After thinking it over, his gaze suddenly fell on the small pile of black sticks on the ground, and his eyes lit up.

……

Meanwhile, news of the outcome of the decisive battle between Kumogakure and Amegakure began to spread rapidly throughout the ninja world, causing a huge stir in various places.

In Konoha, the Third Hokage once again convened an emergency high-level meeting in the Hokage Building.

"Let's share our thoughts on the battle between Kumogakure and Amegakure, and how we should face Amegakure in the future."

The Third Hokage handed over the latest intelligence from the Land of Rain to the three Hokage advisors, speaking with a troubled expression.

"Third Hokage, Amegakure defeated Kumogakure this time and inflicted heavy losses on them. Why do you look so unhappy?"

Seeing the grim expression on the Third Generation's face, Momoka frowned and said.

Chapter 251: The Impact of Uchiha Madara on Konoha

"Of course it's not like that. I didn't expect that Amegakure was able to defeat Kumogakure with the strength of the weak, but I'm definitely very happy. This is equivalent to directly helping us drive those black barbarian bandits back to their hometown. We won without a fight, and I'm overjoyed."

However, we cannot become complacent because of this victory and forget the crisis Konoha is currently facing. To this day, there is still no news of those who went to hunt down Chiyo, and the people I initially sent to search for her also did not return. I am worried that something unexpected has happened.”

When the third generation heard Momoka say this, he shook his head and retorted, his face showing even more worry.

He was truly troubled, as neither the situation in Amegakure nor the pursuit of Chiyo went his way.

Amegakure's miraculous victory over Kumogakure thwarted Orochimaru's original plan to let him take the spoils. Tsunade, who offered to support Amegakure and risked her life to go there herself, became a great hero of Konoha.

Once the news of Amegakure defeating Kumogakure spreads, the people of Konoha will only remember that Tsunade went to support Amegakure alone and made a huge contribution to Konoha's alliance with Amegakure in defeating Kumogakure.

With these solid achievements and merits, Tsunade's prestige in Konoha has grown even higher, making her position as the next Hokage even more unshakeable.

As for the matter of hunting down Chiyo, he had already secretly discussed it with Uchiha Homura. He would take credit for it, and he had already come up with a plan to support Kurosawa, this puppet, to rise to power in Sunagakure.

He thought that with Uchiha Homura and Hatake Sakumo taking action against Chiyo, the matter was a sure thing, but now both Uchiha Homura and Hatake Sakumo have disappeared.

He himself didn't care about Uchiha Homura's life or death, but Hatake Sakumo was now his most powerful ally in controlling the Anbu, so he couldn't afford any accidents to happen to him.

Therefore, he is really worried now, because nothing is going his way.

He must have had a really frustrating time as Hokage.

Upon hearing this, Senju Momoka, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu all showed expressions of shock, clearly not expecting the pursuit of Chiyo to take such an unexpected turn.

"How is that possible? Although that old guy Uchiha Homura usually doesn't show off, his strength is definitely above Chiyo's. After all, that old guy most likely has the Mangekyou Sharingan. It's unlikely that he would fail."

Mitokado Homura said with a suspicious look.

"I also think it's unlikely. That old man can't die so easily. With his abilities, who in the ninja world could kill him? Besides, White Fang is also here."

Xiaochun, who was turning over to sleep, chimed in.

Momoka listened to the two men's conversation in silence, but a strange light flashed in her eyes as she glanced at them lightly before turning her gaze to the Third Generation.

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu were both powerful ninjas, and their alertness was naturally excellent. They immediately noticed that Momoka's gaze towards them was a little strange, and they couldn't help but feel uneasy and a little flustered, but they still kept their expressions unchanged.

The secret alliance with the old Root members to intercept and kill Uchiha Homura was something that couldn't be made public.

Both of them were well aware that Uchiha Homura's pursuit of Chiyo was fraught with peril. However, the news they had received from the former Root organization not long ago was that Uchiha Homura had gone missing. Not only Uchiha Homura, but also Hatake Sakumo and the two elite ninjas sent by the former Root organization to intercept and kill Uchiha Homura had also disappeared.

This shows that Uchiha Homura and the others must have encountered an exceptionally powerful enemy, and their chances of survival are now slim.

The two felt both regret and alarmed. They regretted not being able to obtain Uchiha Homura's Sharingan, and were alarmed that they were merely mantises in this matter.

Because of his son, Sarutobi Takashi, the Third Hokage has very little control over the new Root organization. He only knows that his son may be colluding with the old Root organization, but he is completely unaware that Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu have secretly joined forces with the old Root organization to target Uchiha Homura.

Hearing their back-and-forth banter and seeing Tao Hua's reaction, he couldn't help but feel a little suspicious.

However, he wouldn't be foolish enough to bring up something based on mere rumors now, so he decided to keep his doubts to himself for the time being and wait for his two good disciples, Orochimaru and Jiraiya, to return before conducting a secret investigation.

Therefore, he decisively put aside the pursuit of Chiyo for the time being and said, "The matter of Uchiha Homura and White Fang is still unresolved, so let's put it aside for now and continue talking about Amegakure. Thanks to Tsunade's efforts, we are now allies with Amegakure. Although Amegakure defeated Kumogakure, they also paid a huge price. The entire Amegakure village is gone, and they no longer have much ability to stop Kumogakure's attack. The latest message from Tsunade is that she hopes Konoha will send reinforcements as soon as possible to help Amegakure drive out all the Kumogakure ninjas in the Land of Rain."

They had already learned the specific details of Amegakure's victory over Kumogakure from the intelligence sent back by Tsunade.

It has to be said, Yu Yin is ruthless.

Furthermore, Hattori Masanari is a very dangerous person.

"I think everyone knows that the real purpose of the Cloud Village's trip south this time is to target our Konoha. The Rain Village has shielded Konoha from disaster. We in Konoha may not remember the Rain Village's kindness, but if we don't support the Rain Village now, it will be difficult to get the Rain Village to shield Konoha from disaster like it has today in the future."

Momoka was definitely 100% supportive of Tsunade's proposal; she spoke up in agreement as soon as the Third Hokage finished speaking.

None of the three generations refuted Momoka's words.

However, they were somewhat displeased with Tsunade's suggestion.

After all, times have changed. From Konoha's perspective, continuing to let Amegakure and Kumogakure fight to the death is the best way to maximize their interests.

The Cloud Village has been so badly tricked by the Rain Village this time. Given the Cloud Village's nature, it's impossible for them not to retaliate fiercely. If Konoha allows the Cloud Village to continue its revenge against the Rain Village, the Rain Village, which has already lost its home, may face a true catastrophe.